The Interstate 40/U.S. Highway 93 interchange project in Kingman, Arizona, is 70 percent complete, with key elements of the $106.5 million project set to get underway soon.
A major component of the yearslong project connecting the highways is a flyover ramp at Clack Canyon Road that will allow southbound traffic on U.S. 93 to connect to eastbound I-40 without having to exit on Beale Street. Work on that bridge structure is imminent, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.
“The ramp doesn’t cross over I-40 yet, but it’s clear where the new connection will tie into the highway,” said ADOT spokesman Garin Groff. “We are now making preparations to place bridge girders over I-40.”
Other work underway includes blasting and creating 1 mile of new ramps between I-40 and U.S. 93.
Along that route, two tunnels have been completed. One, which will allow traffic to move from downtown Kingman near Beale Street to connect to U.S. 93 northbound, has yet to open to motorists. The other tunnel is open and handles local traffic on Fort Beale Drive, according to ADOT.
Ongoing work includes the construction of new ramps between I-40 and U.S. 93, finishing the flyover ramp from U.S. 93 to I-40 eastbound and building new sound walls along the interstate.
Once complete, the project should eliminate the bottleneck in Kingman for drivers traveling between Las Vegas and Kingman, where drivers must use Beale Street to connect between U.S. 93 and I-40.
Paving operations are also ongoing along I-40 and U.S. 93 within and beyond the project’s scope, with lane restrictions in place.
“These paving projects will greatly improve the driving experience on a combined 34 miles of highway in and around the Kingman area,” Groff said. “One project is paving 11 miles of I-40, while another is improving 23 miles of U.S. 93.”
Daytime and nighttime traffic restrictions are expected while traveling through the area, including on I-40 westbound where traffic is reduced to a single lane in Kingman. Varying nighttime closures on U.S. 93 are also needed to allow for rock blasting, which occurs between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., according to ADOT.
Once the project is complete, ADOT will open 6 miles of widened or newly constructed roadway. That includes the mile-long connection between the highways in each direction, widening over a mile of I-40 in both directions between the new interchange and Stockton Hill Road, and adding a merge lane on northbound U.S. 93.
After the project is done, drivers traveling on U.S. 93 to Phoenix from Las Vegas will use a new interchange just south of the current off-ramp to Beale. Drivers will still be allowed to exit at Beale to reach downtown Kingman, where gas stations and other local businesses are located.
After U.S. 93 southbound merges with eastbound I-40 at the new interchange, the freeway will be four lanes in each direction until Cerbat Cliffs Golf Course, where it will reduce to three lanes. The freeway will then narrow to two travel lanes once it reaches the Stockton Hill Road exit.
Motorists heading from Phoenix to Las Vegas on I-40 westbound to U.S. 93 northbound will have three travel lanes from Stockton Hill Road until just before the new interchange. At that point, two lanes will merge to U.S. 93 while two lanes continue to westbound I-40.
The $106.5 million project began in July 2024 and is scheduled for completion in early 2027.
Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X. Send questions and comments to roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com.
